A research team led by Dr Nikki Turner of The University of Auckland, has been awarded funding for a research project that will focus on translating knowledge gained from best practice to ensure high rates of immunisation for all New Zealand children.
The project is being funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the Ministry of Health through the QEII Jubilee Research Grant – ‘Health Knowledge to Action’. This funding initiative is one of a number of initiatives being commissioned by the Government to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
The overall objective of this funding initiative is to support research that examines the transfer of knowledge into practice in New Zealand’s health delivery sector, with the end goal of supporting the improvement of New Zealand‘s healthcare services and the health of New Zealanders. There is increasing evidence that knowledge generated from research must be appropriately adapted to unique local circumstances, scopes of practice, patient populations, resources and institutional perspectives, before it can be applied to practice.
Dr Nikki Turner and her team will undertake a project that aims to improve immunisation coverage and timeliness of delivery to ensure high rates of immunisation for all New Zealand children. They will transfer knowledge gained from general practices with high childhood immunisation rates into successful strategies and actions for practices with low coverage, examining what was successful and why and what factors facilitated and/or impeded uptake.
The project is due to finish in September 2014.
Translating best practice research to reduce equity gaps in immunisation
24 months, $444,809
Principal Investigator: Dr Nikki Turner, The University of Auckland
Project Summary:
Immunisation coverage in New Zealand was traditionally poor but has improved recently, with most children receiving their first vaccination on time. However, timely completion of vaccinations is still problematic particularly for infants, often Māori, from lower income backgrounds. Research indicates that optimised systems in general practice can result in timely immunisation and reach national targets, even in practices where many patients are poor and remote. This project aims to apply the knowledge gained from practices who maintain high immunisation coverage to practices with the lowest immunisation coverage. The research team will use a randomised controlled trial methodology to evaluate a recently developed model of best practice and compare the immunisation outcomes at six and eight months of age. The model of best practice has the potential to ensure the new immunisation health targets are met as well as reduce inequities in immunisation coverage, particularly for Māori.